Florence + the Machine is back! “King”, the group’s first single attached to an album in four years, is a triumphant return to their signature sound. Complete with anthemic, lush drums, the lyrics paint a bloody picture of lead singer Florence Welsh’s thoughts on being a woman in her thirties in the music industry. The track was written and produced by Welsh and Jack Antonoff, a frequent collaborator of artists like Taylor Swift and Lorde. It starts slow, allowing the listener to be lulled into a false sense of security before a combination of pounding drums and stacked harmonies around the 2:40 mark reminds them that Florence + The Machine is a force to be reckoned with. The band’s new album “Dance Fever” arrives on May 13th, and if “King” is a promise of what is to come, the future looks bright.
Favorite lyrics (1/2): “You need to go to war to find material to sing“
There is a common misconception that one needs to be in pain to make quality work that is deserving of an audience, and Welsh, whose lyrics are very reflective of her pain, pondering this acts as a reminder that one can be okay and still create incredible art.
Favorite lyrics (2/2): “And I was never as good as I always thought I was / But I knew how to dress it up“
Acknowledging that you are actively making an effort to conceal what is causing you to unravel on the inside is also admitting that there is a problem, something that seems simple but is always harder when it needs to be put into practice. Coming to grips with not being in a great state is often half the battle, and I love how Florence phrases it, that she knew how to play the game to project the image that she wanted others to see regardless of what the truth may be.
